What Kind Of Exercise is Right For You?
Any kind of exercise will help you be healthier, unless it’s just lifting a spoon to your mouth. Getting your body moving is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. If you can’t start a formal exercise program right now, make an attempt to increase your activity by parking further away from the store when you shop, taking the stairs and dancing while doing household chores. Every little bit helps. To reach specific goals, using the services of one of our personal trainers can make reaching that goal faster and easier.
Everyone needs four types of exercise.
You need four basic types of exercise, cardiovascular, flexibility, balance and strength. Every program will include those four types but in varying amounts and intensity. Building strength without building flexibility is a recipe for injury, since the flexibility training improves the range of motion. Most trainers will use exercises that work on several of those things at once, such as functional fitness workouts that may combine strength, cardio and flexibility in one exercise.
Improve the strength of weaker muscle groups.
A personal trainer first identifies your fitness level and any weaker muscle groups. Weak muscle groups can be one reason for injuring the same area repeatedly. If a larger muscle group is too weak, the body compensates and uses a smaller muscle group to do the same job. That causes the large group to remain weak and sometimes get weaker. Many of the movements required of the large muscle group require more strength than the small group should have to perform and often ends in injury. A personal trainer will work with you to build those weaker muscles so your body is working the way it was meant to work.
Burn fat, build endurance or just tone your body.
No matter what your goal, there’s a group of exercises that are perfect to help you achieve it. Even though many of these are used to help clients accomplish different goals the number of reps and intensity will vary based on the clients goal. Knowing not only the various exercises, but the best way of applying them to the client’s goal is the job of a personal trainer and the reason a trainer’s services are invaluable. Trainers also can work with you to improve your performance in almost any sport.
All types of exercise improve your health, but specific types improve specific conditions. Osteoporosis, for instance, responds to strength building and weight bearing exercises.
No matter what type of exercise you get, you’ll be able to lower your blood pressure and control your blood sugar level better when you workout regularly.
Trainers can show you the best type of exercises to help you burn fat rapidly.
Building bulky muscles may be your goal or just toning muscles. A personal trainer has workouts to accomplish both goals.
Dieting doesn’t work. That’s because it always ends and you go back to your old eating habits. Strict dieting can also put your body into starvation mode, which slows the metabolism. You’ll gain weight easier when you end the diet. Instead, eat healthier and more frequently. Smaller more frequent meals can keep the calorie burning ovens on high.
Add fat to your diet.
Not all fat is bad. In fact, some is quite healthy and will help you lose weight. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil and flaxseed oil actually help burn off fat. A study done with rats on an exercise program showed that those fed omega-3 fatty acid supplements lost more weight than those that just exercised. You don’t have to stick with fish oil , you can eat walnuts and eggs to get it too.
Get plenty of sleep. While it may sound counterproductive, adequate sleep can help you boost your metabolism. You’ll have more energy and burn more calories.
Drink plenty of water. Even if you aren’t trying to lose weight, drinking adequate water is important for all parts of your body. It flushes out toxins and rehydrates your system.
Try green tea for water retention. Green tea is a powerful diuretic that can help eliminate water-weight. Just like drinking regular water, green tea will flush your system while the catechin in green tea also helps burn fat.
Stick with the program. It’s tough at first to believe you can control your body’s metabolism, but after a short time, you’ll be a believer. Stick with the program and you’ll see results.
One Step at a Time
Getting fit is a matter of taking one step after another toward a fitter healthier life. You don’t have to change your life all at once to become the healthiest person you can be. One reason people fail to start a fitness program is they think they have to sign up at a gym, throw out all their old foods and start eating rice wafers and celery. That’s simply not true. No matter what your fitness goal, you can start anywhere you want making one small change at a time.
Eat healthier by making small changes.
Eating healthier isn’t dieting. Diets don’t work. They restrict your eating and often leave you hungry. Those that cut calories severely can even put you into starvation mode, where you body slows metabolism to conserve calories, making it harder to loose weight and easier to gain it once the diet ends and they do end. That ending is the real reason they don’t work, you then go back to your old eating pattern that put weight on in the first place. Eating healthier can occur by making small changes, such as eating wild rice instead of white rice or using Greek yogurt to substitute for sour cream. It might mean having healthy snacks ready for mid-afternoon or morning to stave off hunger so you don’t overeat at your next meal. These are all small changes that add up to big calorie savings.
Move more and more frequently.
Make it a point to move. Rather than circling the parking lot until you find a parking space close to the door, park further away and enjoy the quick walk. Take the stairs at work rather than the elevator. If you’re building is tall and you’re on a top floor, start by getting off the elevator a floor or two below your office and taking the stairs the rest of the way. Have fun and play with your children, cats or dogs. When you go to the mall, walk all the way around the mall first and then start your shopping trip. As you build strength, wait until you have a load of packages, then walk the mall. These are all ways to start exercising before you have a formal program.
Sign up for group training if you’re not sure you’re ready for a personal trainer.
Group training cost less than private sessions, but you still get all the benefits of having a personal trainer. Choose an option that allows you to go two to three nights a week and one that doesn’t last long, such as a six weeks course. Most of the time, people love the results they see after just a few weeks, they’re ready for a private program.
Have fun when you workout or get exercise. Exercise shouldn’t be grueling. Dancing is exercise and it’s fun!
Say no to an unhealthy treat at least once each week. If you’re in the habit of eating a donut each morning, substitute an apple one day a week for a while, then go to two days a week until you no longer have a donut during the week.
Shut off the television or put it on music videos and dance to the music for at least one or two songs. It doesn’t have to be a fast dance and you don’t have to be able to dance. Just move to the music joyfully.
Try something new and healthy each week when you eat. Try a new recipe, such as using Spaghetti squash instead of pasta or making a cauliflower crust pizza.